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After our little discussion of the Alexander family and from what little research I have done, I believe I have some old photographs that might be from their family. When my aunt died in 1963, her mother, my grandmother, brought back to Georgia a steamer trunk containing some of my aunt’s things. In that trunk was a group of old photographs. They were in my grandmother’s things in 1975 when she died and they have finally come to rest with me.

No one was ever able to tell me anything about the pictures (I never even thought to ask Uncle George). They are of babies, children, families, and individual men and women, all dating to the late 1800s and early 1900s.

None have any names indicating whom the pictures are of, however some do have photographer’s marks. There are 31 photographs and 16 have Holyoke, Massachusetts labels, 2 have Quebec labels, and 1 has a label from Bristol, Connecticut. These are all places associated with the Alexanders. In 1920 and 1930, Jean-Baptiste and his family were living in Bristol, CT; in 1910, they were in Holyoke, MA and prior to that, they were in Quebec.

Ed sent me this message along with his 31 pictures of unidentied ancestors.

After our little discussion of the Alexander family and from what little research I have done, I believe I have some old photographs that might be from their family. When my aunt died in 1963, her mother, my grandmother, brought back to Georgia a steamer trunk containing some of my aunt’s things. In that trunk was a group of old photographs. They were in my grandmother’s things in 1975 when she died and they have finally come to rest with me.

No one was ever able to tell me anything about the pictures (I never even thought to ask Uncle George). They are of babies, children, families, and individual men and women, all dating to the late 1800s and early 1900s.

None have any names indicating whom the pictures are of, however some do have photographer’s marks. There are 31 photographs and 16 have Holyoke, Massachusetts labels, 2 have Quebec labels, and 1 has a label from Bristol, Connecticut. These are all places associated with the Alexanders. In 1920 and 1930, Jean-Baptiste and his family were living in Bristol, CT; in 1910, they were in Holyoke, MA and prior to that, they were in Quebec.

All of Ed’s 31 pictures do not ring a bell at all when I look at them closely, so, in point of fact, this should ring a bell.

Could these people be related in some way to the Courchesnes. Odila Courchesne (Courchaine) was George Alexander’s mother?

None of these people has any facial ressemblance with the Alexanders I have pictures of.

And I do have a lot!

So let’s go full speed ahead with the three family pictures Ed sent and let’s try to find some clues. This will be quite a fascinating journey into the unknown.

Family 1

This is Family 1, for now that is. A man, a woman and a young lady. Daughter, mother and father? Most probably.

I don’t have a faintess clue how they are related to the Alexanders. Also nothing on the Internet about Welcome & Covey photographers. They seemed to have been established in 1894. So this picture is taken in or after 1894 in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

That’s not a lot to go on.

In my search, I found that this picture is called a cabinet card. I like to learn new things. It must be evident if you have been reading this blog from the start.

Now let’s turn our attention to Family 2.

Family 2

Again Welcome & Covey… 1894… 175 High St., Holyoke, Mass.

My 3rd cousin told me once that very youngs boys were dressed like girls in those days. So the girl could be a boy with his father and mother. Notice that the little boy puts his hand on his father’s shoulder.

Still no clue though, but I am sure you would like to put on name on these faces.

Welcome to the Cabinet Card Gallery. Cabinet card photographs were first introduced in 1866. They were initially employed for landscapes rather than portraitures. Cabinet cards replaced Carte de visite photographs as the popular mode of photography. Cabinet cards became the standard for photographic portraits in 1870. Cabinet cards experienced their peak in popularity in the 1880′s. Cabinet cards were still being produced in the United States until the early 1900′s and continued to be produced in Europe even longer. The best way to describe a cabinet card is that it is a thin photograph that is mounted on a card that measures 4 1/4″ by 6 1/2″. Cabinet cards frequently have artistic logos and information on the bottom or the reverse of the card which advertised the photographer or the photography studio’s services. Enjoy your visit.

Fascinating site!

Getting back to Ed’s cabinet cards, I have no idea who this family is.